English Original
Seeing a bee busying itself about a flower, an eagle said with disdain: "How I pity thee, poor thing, with all thy toil and skill! All through the summer, thousands of thy fellows are moulding honeycomb in the hive. But who will afterwards separate and distinguish the results of thy labour? I must confess, I do not understand what pleasure thou can take in it. To labour all one's life, and to have what in view? Why, to die without having achieved distinction, exactly like all the rest. What a difference there is between us! When I spread my sounding pinions, and am borne along near the clouds, I am everywhere a cause of alarm. The birds do not dare to rise from the ground, the shepherds fear to repose beside their well-fed flocks, and the swift does, having seen me, will not venture out into the plain."
But the bee replied: "To thee be glory and honour! May Jupiter continue to pour on thee his bounteous gifts! I, however, born to work for the common good, do not seek to make my labour distinguished. But, when I look at our honeycombs, I am consoled by the thought that there are in them a few drops of my own honey."
Fortunate is he, the field of whose labour is conspicuous! He gains added strength from the knowledge that the whole world witnesses his exploits. But how deserving of respect is he who, in humble obscurity, hopes for neither fame nor honour in return for all his labour, for all his loss of rest -- who is animated by this thought only, that he works for the common good!
中文翻译
一只鹰看见蜜蜂在花丛中忙碌，便轻蔑地对它说：“我真可怜你，可怜的小东西，凭你所有的辛劳和技艺！整个夏天，你成千上万的同伴都在蜂巢里筑造蜂房。但之后谁会去分辨和区分你劳动的成果呢？我必须承认，我不明白你能从中得到什么乐趣。辛劳一生，图的是什么呢？唉，死时默默无闻，和所有其他蜜蜂毫无区别。我们之间的差距何其大！当我展开响亮的翅膀，翱翔于云端之下，所到之处无不引起恐慌。鸟儿不敢从地面飞起，牧羊人不敢在膘肥体壮的羊群旁安歇，敏捷的母鹿看见我，也不敢冒险踏入平原。”
但蜜蜂回答道：“愿荣耀与尊贵归于你！愿朱庇特继续向你倾注他丰厚的恩赐！而我，生来就是为了公共利益而工作，并不追求使我的劳动卓尔不群。但是，当我看着我们的蜂巢时，想到其中有几滴我自己的蜂蜜，我便感到欣慰。”
劳动成果显赫的人是幸运的！他知道全世界都见证着他的功绩，从而获得了额外的力量。然而，那些在卑微的默默无闻中劳作，不为自己的辛劳和牺牲休息而希求名声或荣誉的人——那些仅仅被为公共利益而工作的念头所激励的人——是多么值得尊敬啊！